Supporters Club Q & A Session
Following the Supporters Club AGM on Thursday evening, Ritchie Bates and Jon Stead fielded a number of questions from those in attendance.
Here is a brief resume of what was said.
Ritchie Bates
Ritchie was asked why we haven’t heard more from the owners – it’s a while since they last made a statement of any kind to supporters – and he was also asked about his own relationship with them.
He said that he speaks with them most days and that they delegate a great deal of work to their senior members of staff.
Whilst accepting there had been little communication of late, he said that there will be a statement very soon, from the owners, likely to be before Christmas.
The consensus of opinion in the room was that they wished to hear something from the owners soon.
Ritchie is made aware of the feelings of supporters by our two Supporters Club Directors at their regular meetings.
The owners, he said, work incredibly hard behind the scenes and they are passionate about the club while Jon Stead stated that he and the management team have a great deal of contact with them and they are always very supportive.
At least one of the owners is at every match.
Ritchie was made aware of the fact that supporters feel that there is a need for them to communicate more with the fanbase.
In answer to questions/comments about queues at the turnstiles in both the West Stand and Thatchers End on matchdays, he said he had been unaware of the problems and will investigate them as a matter of urgency.
One supporter said that he had not received a response from the club with regard to distributing publicity material regarding Prostate Cancer when several other League Two clubs had responded. Ritchie promised him a response within 24 hours.
He also said that the club would prefer to recruit their own matchday staff rather than rely on Agency Staff.
Jon Stead
In answer to a question about the lack of height in the current forward line, at the moment missing the injured Ellis Harrison and Promise Omochere, Jon recognised
the problems that arise because of this and commented that, at present, it is all about the team being adaptable and that it was difficult with no big target player.
He said that Ellis was close to a return and that Promise is 2/3 weeks away. He also said that the medical team were doing all they can to help Promise back to recovery and will, when he is fit, do all they can to ensure there is no repeat injury. He’s jogging at the moment, often accompanied by Jon.
With regard to the possibility of Bryant Bilongo playing up front, Jon said that the management team have looked at that possibility in training where he has been tried in all positions across the front line. He is, at present, a little bit inconsistent and it’s a case of getting him on the pitch at the right time but there is a possibility of him getting some game time up front. He is getting more minutes under his belt and this is a great opportunity for him.
Fabrizio Cavegn, he said, does need to play alongside a strike partner
When asked if the team were affected by fans getting up and leaving before the end of the game, he didn’t think it affected players as much as might be thought. However, it is recognised by all that there must be a problem if that happens and everyone, players and management team alike, work hard to resolve any issues and fix them.
When asked about the effect of having Tom Lockyer back at the club, he said that his attitude has been first class, as has that of Ellis Harrison, Alfie Kilgour and Josh McEachran. In fact, he said that there were a lot of good people in the dressing room, but that the only reason Tom came back was because of Darrell Clarke.
With regard to the best formation for the team and players at the club’s disposal, he admitted that it’s still a work in progress as we have played with four at the back and with a back three. However, he did say that recruitment favours three central defenders and wing backs. No one, he said, expected us to concede four goals in three consecutive matches.
In spite of that he feels very positive and says that this is the most committed group of players he’s coached.
Behind the scenes he, and the management team, are working long hours behind the scenes trying to get things right on the pitch.
Chris Martin, he said, is still undertaking his rehab, though he has encountered one or two setbacks. At some point a decision will need to be taken on his future.
He admitted that maybe we haven’t seen the best of Josh McEachran who played for a while with a hernia injury. He’s now had surgery and, once recovered, we can expect to see him getting forward more – the injury has restricted him in games so far.
He was asked to convey thanks to Tom Lockyer for an excellent interview on Radio Bristol that evening. Tom is, said Jon, a true leader.